4 Beauty Tips to Look Flawless on Social Media
Not to brag or anything, but we already know exactly how to execute the perfect selfie—so we figure we might as well put our skills in motion by perfecting our Snapchat beauty game too. Between Instagram videos, Periscope, and more, we’re finding ourselves “on-camera” way more than we used to, so we know that looking good in front of an iPhone lens has never been more urgent.
We’re not about to suggest that you deck yourself out in HD foundation just for a 12-second clip of you singing along to Drake in the car, but if you want to get social media–ready in a flash, here’s everything you need to know.
Pay close attention to your brows
Even if you’re going for the #iwokeuplikethis vibe on social media—regardless of whether you actually did wake up like that—we consider well-groomed brows to be the bare minimum. Because phone cameras emphasize our every flaw (whose idea was that?), good brows do a pretty bang-up job of pulling your look together with minimal effort. Tweeze stray hairs that the camera will pick up, then use a small, angled brush and your product of choice to fill in your eyebrows. We really love & Other Stories Eyebrow Crème ($15); it helps us prevent the Instagram brow.
Define your eyes
Unpredictable lighting is to be expected when you’re snapping videos on the fly, and minimal makeup on your eyes can make you look half asleep in certain lights. A few layers of mascara will help, and there’s nothing better than a peachy, flesh-tone eye pencil, like NARS Cosmetics Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Rue Bonaparte ($25), applied on your lower waterline to make you look instantly more awake.
Don’t skip blush
Getting some color on your face is key, because phone cameras and social media apps love to make skin look dull and one-dimensional. You definitely want to create some definition, which may mean boosting your usual highlighting and contouring techniques too. Cream blush, like MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Blush ($26), is awesome for this since it gives the face a dewy, healthy finish that translates well on-camera. Smooth it onto the apples of your cheeks and blend up and out toward your temple—it’ll brighten you up both IRL and in your Snapchat story.
Put something on your lips
A bit of color on your lips is a necessity to avoid looking washed out, even if it’s just a tinted balm. Try using a neutral, your-lips-but-better lipstick, or dab on a berry stain like Touch In Sol Technicolor Lip & Cheek Tint ($22) for an imperceptible flush.
